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On Father's Day

This is my dad with my grandpa in the hospital about a week before my grandpa passed away. The expression on my grandpa’s face is not a side effect of a stroke or medication or illness; he was being silly for the camera.

About a week before he passed away. While in pain, just days from moving on, he made a silly face for the camera.

I spoke at his funeral, struggling to speak through tears after a morning where I just couldn’t stop crying. And I don’t cry in public. What I found most difficult to bear was the thought that I am so much like him in my deep-seated ideas about loyalty and family but because we also share the same perspective on public displays of emotion (snark and sarcasm and silliness: good; crying and carrying on: not), I didn’t get to thank him.

See my dad? He’s awesome. I admit it took me until well into adulthood to fully appreciate him. Unlike my grandpa, my dad has always been more willing to show emotion, something with which I continue to struggle. However, like his father, he’s loyal and unwavering in his love for his kids.